Expanding hat-block



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Patented Dec 2-5, 1894.

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s. B. DUNHAM. EXPANDING HAT BLOGK. No. 531,518. Patented D 25, 1894.

,s. E. DUNHAM.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

EXPANDING HAT BLOCK.

'Nq. 531,518. Patented Dec 25, 1.894.

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. ing my invention.

bury, in the county. of Fairfield and State of and adapted to be held inany given position tions or segments of the block platesand .vention, Iwill proceed now to describe the plan viewof the block; Fig. 4 is a planof PATENT OF ICE.

SAMUEL DUNHAM, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

EXPAN DING HAT-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,518, dated December25, 1 894.

v Application filed March 19,1894: Serial No. 504,307- m d m To all whomit may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL E. DUNHAM, a citizenof the United States,residing at Dan- Oonnecticut, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Expanding Hat- Blocks, of which the following is a full,clear,

This invention" relates to machines -for blocking hats, and the objectof the invention is to provide for the ready expansion and contractionof the block. n

In my invention the several segments or sections composing the block ofappropriate shape are assembled about a central standard or spindle andare'made movable toward and upwardly and outwardly from suchstandardmediums, such as levers all'of which are con nected to a commonlifting device which is slidable up and down the standard or spindle bya suitable actuator. I apply to the secleaves, which overlap theadjacent edges of adjacent segments so as to cover the spaces betweenthe segments when the said segments are moved away from each otherlaterally, the said plates and leaves preserving the surface of theblock in uninterrupted continuity.

Having thus stated the principle of my inbest mode in which I havecontemplated applying that principle, and thenwill particularly pointout and distinctly claim the part or improvement which I claim as myinvention. 4

In theaccompanying drawings illustrating my invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l isasectional elevation of a machine embody- Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionalelevation,taken in the plane of line 2-2 Fig. 5, of the block detached.Fig. 2 is a plan of the operating collar. Fig. 3 is a top the assembledlever supports. Fig. 5 is a hori-" zontal cross-section of the block, ona still larger scale, the section being taken substantiallyin the planeof line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig- 6 is an inside elevation of one of thesegments, and Fig.7 is a longitudinal section thereof.. Fig. Sis aninside elevation of one of the covering leaves, and Fig. 9 is alongitudinal section thereof. Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation of amodification. I

In Fig. 1, I haveshown my invention as applied in .connection withsomeof the mechstruction and have mounted upon it a hat clamping mechanismof substantially the construction shown in Fig. 1.

2 is a vertical standard or spindle, on which the hat block is mounted,as I will proceed now to describe. This hat block is composed of anumber of segments or sections 3, each of which is provided with thedouble-cared sockets 4, 5, near the top and bottom. When these segmentsare assembled their upper ends are embraced between an invertedsaucer-shaped plate 6 and a radially slotted spring plate '7, whichplates are mounted upon a spindle 8, which is secured inla socket in the{upper end of the spindle 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the plate 7resting upon a shoulder or collar 9 on the said'spindle 8.

The spindle 2 is shouldered at 10, and" upon this shoulder is mounted, aplate 11, having an internal flaring or beveled or Wedge shaped cavity,and above this plate is mounted a similarly recessed plate 12, andbetween these two plates 11 and 12, are secured a series of brackets 13,equal in number to .the number of segments or sections composing theblock. The ends 14, 14, of these bracketsare beveled to correspond withthe bevel in the plates 11 and 12, so thatwhen the several brackets 13are assembled between the plates lland 12 and the upper plate 12 ispressed home by means, for example, of a set nut or other device, 15,the beveled ends 14. of the brackets will be crowded in thebeveledcavities of the It will be understood that the outwardly-projectingportions of the brackets are made in two parallel parts, and in thespace between these parts, at the upper ends thereof, is j ournaled ineach bracket a friction roller 17, and at their lower ends is secured aroller or pin 18. The supporting medium for each segment or section 3 isshown as a lever 19 which is passed between the parallel ears of thebrackets 13 and secured at one end between the ears 4 of the respectiveblock segments. Opposite the roller 17 this lever 19 is swelled out intoa projecting or bulging cam, and opposite the roller or pin 18 the leveris concaved, for a purpose presently appearing. The segments are securedat their lower ends to the brackets 13 bymeans of links 20 pivoted tothe segments in the ears 5 and to the lower portions of the brackets.

21 is a collar or annulus surrounding the spindle or standard 2 andprovided with an internal groove 22 and an opening 23 from the outsideleading to said groove.

24 are segments of a cylinder, each provided with a curved projection 25which is adapted to pass downwardly through the opening 23 in the collar21, and thereafter to be turned into the groove 22, until as many ofthese cylindrical segments are arranged within the collar as there arelevers 19. Each of these cylindrical segments is provided with a socket26 at its upper end and in the socket of each segment is pivoted thelower end of one of the levers 19. These cylindrical segments constitutesupports for the lovers 19, and will he hereinafter referred to as leversupports and collectively they constitute with the collar 21, a liftingdevice for the levers.

The collar 21 is mounted upon parallel rods 27, and these rods in turnare secured to a collar 28 which surrounds the spindle or standard 2 andis freely movable thereon longitudinally.

One means for moving the collar 28 and thereby moving the collar 21, andso expanding or contracting the block, consists of a lever 29, pivotedto the frame at 30 and connected in any suitable manner with the collar28, so that by raising or lowering the lever the collar 21 may be raisedor lowered correspondingly. This lever 29 is provided with adjustingmechanism 31, 32, of any usual or approved construction, and it is alsoprovided with an adjustment-locking lever 33. A lever 34 pivoted at 35to the frame is connected with a collar or strap 36, made fast to thestandard or spindle 2, so that by raising or loweringthesaid lever 34,the standard orspindle 2, and hence the block, may be raised and loweredas desired. Any adjustment of the block made by meansof the lever 34 issecured by means of the adj ustment-locking levers 37, and the throw ofthe lever 34 is regulated by the ordinary regulating mechanism 38, 39.Thus it will be seen that the block as a whole may be raised or loweredas desired independently of any expansion or contraction of the saidblock, and so also, the said block may be expanded or contracted atwill, quite independently of the vertical movement of the block as awhole.

In order to cover the spaces between the adjacent edges of the segmentscomposing the block, I provide thin metallic leaves 40, having theiredges reduced in thickness so as not to break the contour of the block,and in order to show these leaves plainly in the drawings, I haveexaggerated their proportions considerably, particularly in Figs. 3 and5. Each leaf is provided with a rib 41 having an upper projection 42 anda lower projection 43. On the top of the collar 21 is arranged anoutwardly flaring rim or socket-piece 44, slotted radially to receiveprojections 43 of the ribs 41. Between the nut 15 and the plate 12, orotherwise, I arrange a radially slotted plate 45, in the slots of whichthe projections 42 of the leaves play and the leaves thus have provisionfor guidance at top and bottom, and they are sustained at the top by across'pin 46 overlying the slotted plate 45, and they are connected atthe bottom with the sections by means of cross-pins 47, which engageslitted ears 48 on said sections. Obviously theleaves are free to moveback and forth with the block sections and cover the openings betweensaid sections as the block is expanded, so that at all times the surfaceof the block is preserved in unbroken continuity.

The operation has been sufficiently indicated by the foregoingdescription, but it may be observed that in preparing the hat body forthe blocking machine, it is taken from the kettle in its conoidal form,to the tip stretcher where its tip is stretched out laterally, andthence it is removed to the brim stretcher where its loweropen end isspread out in horizontal curves to start the brim, when it is incondition to be applied to the blocking machine, as indicated by thesolid black lines in Fig. 1. The hat body in the rough being clamped inthe machine, the block is then moved bodily, by means of its spindle 2,up into the hat body a distance suilicient to enable the operator toblock a hat of the desired size. The further movement of the spindlebeing stopped, the collar 21 is then given its independent upwardmovement and as the collar 21 is moved upwardly the levers 19 also aremoved with it and carry upwardly with them the block segments, and saidlevers are forced outwardly by their cam surfaces riding against thefriction rollers 17, thereby simultaneously also moving outwardly theblock segments and so expanding the block. By this compound,simultaneous upward and outward movement of the block sections, the hatbody is stretched uniformly throughout its quarters to the band,insuring a practically uniform distribution of the fibers, withoutthinning and thereby weakening any part of the crown. In the old styleblock where the block sections are moved outwardly only, the hat body isthinned out and weakened in places. and this objection iswholly avoidedby my construction whereby the stretch is applied upwardly and outwardlyat the same time, by a sort of rolling action.

During this upward and outward movement of the block sections, thespindle 8 is free to rise in its socket in spindle 2 to permit thesections to rise without becoming detached from spindle 2, and the upperends of such 10 sections may move laterally within the confines of theplates 6 and 7 without escaping therefrom, the plates 6 and the leaves40 covering the spaces between the expanded sections and preserving thecontinuity of the blocks surface. On the return movement,

the pins or rollers 18, acting against the le-' vers, cause the saidlevers to withdraw the segments toward one another and thereby contractthe block. The links inthe move- 20 ments of the levers 19 cause thelower ends of the segments to follow the movement of their upper ends.

As shown in Fig. 10, in order to get different shaped hats with the sameblock, I may add 2 5 any number of different sizes or different shapedplates 6, and secure them by a countersunk screw or other convenientfastening. What I claim is 1. In a hat blocking machine, a hat block 0comprising a number of longitudinally. and

laterally movable sections or segments, a supporting medium for each ofsuch sections movably connected therewith and having a longitudinallyand laterally defined path of move- 5 ment, a lifting device common toall of such supporting mediums, and an actuator for such lifting device,whereby upon the upward movement of the lifting device the saidsupporting mediums are caused to move up- I 40 wardly and outwardlysimultaneously and to transmit corresponding motions to their respectiveblock-sections, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a vertical standard or 4 5 spindle, a hat blockcomprising a number of sections or segments assembled about the saidspindle, a series of brackets corresponding in number to the number ofsections or segments constituting the blockand assembled about the saidspindle radially and clamped thereto, a series of levers correspondingin number to the number of brackets and segments passed through andguided in their movements by the said brackets and connected at one endwith thesaid segments, and a movable collar standard about which thesaid segments are" assembled and to which they are secured, levers, anda lifting device for suchlevers for operating the said segments, thesaid lifting device consistingof a series of cylindrical segments and anannular collar provided with an internal groove and'an external entranceto such groove, thesaid cylindrical segments being provided withexternal projections adapted to be entered into the internal groove ofthe said collar through its external opening, and means to raise andlower the saidlifting device, substantially as described.

4;. The combination with a vertical spindle or standard, of a hat blockcomposed of a series of segments, brackets clamped to said spindle andcontaining rollers or pins arranged at obliquely opposite points, andcam-like levers connecting the said brackets and segments and engagingthe rollers in said brackets, a collar slidable upon the said spindleand containing supports for such levers and means to move the spindlebodily, and independent means to move the collar containing the leversupports independently, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a spindle or'standard, of a hat block comprisinga series of se ments or sections assembled about the said spindle orstandard, a second spindle arranged of the segments are arranged, andmeans to connect the segments with the spindle and to expand andcontract them relatively to the spindle, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a spindle or standard provided with a shoulder10, of a number of brackets having their upper andlower ends beveled, acorrespondingly beveled recessed plate situated upon the shoulder of thespindle to receive one of the ends of the said brackets anda similarlybeveled and recessed plateapplied to the upper ends of the brackets andabout the spindle and fastened to the spindle and block sections orsegments, and levers for connecting the said sections or segments andthe said brackets, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a hat block comprising a number of segments orsections and means to expand and contract the said block, of thinmetallic leaves overlapping adjacent sections in. substantially theexternal plane of the sections and without materially increasing thecircumference of the block, and made as separate structures from thesaid blocksections, and interlocking connections between the leaves andblock-sections affording a support for the said leaves and to cause themto move with the sections as the said sections are moved to expand orcontract the block, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a hat block comprising a series of segments orsections and means to expand and contract the block, of leaves havingribs interposed betweenv the adjacent edges of the said segments, theleaves themselvesoverlapping the block seg ments or sections externallysoas to preserve the continuity of the block practically un- IIO broken,inward projections on said ribs at top and bottom, a block spindle, andsupports on such spindle for receiving the said projections andsustaining said leaves, and an interlocking connection between theleaves and the block-sections causing the leaves to move with theblock-sections, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. The combination with a spindle or standard, of a series of segmentsor sections assembled about said spindle or standard, means to connectthe segments with the spindle and to expand and contract themcollectively relatively to the spindle, a removable plate applied to thespindle to cover the openings between the segments when they areexpanded, and a number of similar plates of diiterent size applicable tothe end of the spindle to permit the use of one block for a number ofdifierently shaped hats, substantially as described.

10. In a hat blocking machine, a hat block comprising a number oflongitudinally and laterally movable sections or segments, a supportingmedium for each of such sections movably connected therewith and havinga longitudinally and laterally defined path of movement, connectorsmovably joining the lower portions ofthe sections to a fixed portion ofthe apparatus, alifting device common to all of such supporting mediums,and an actuator for such lifting device, whereby upon the upwardmovement of the lifting device the said supporting mediums are caused tomove upwardly and outwardly simultaneously and to transmit correspondingmotions to their respective block-sections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day ofJanuary, A. D. 1894:.

SAMUEL E. DUNIIAM. Witnesses:

L. LEGRAND HOPKINS, NORMAN Honors.

